Jackson, California to Reno, Nevada

   Darlene and I slept in a little after the previous long, adventurous day in Yosemite. We took advantage of the 11:00 AM checkout. We got away and went to Waffle Shop, not Waffle House, for breakfast although they both have the same color scheme. We both got the senior special; waffle, one egg, bacon, and coffee.

The food was very good. We noticed the many Second Amendment signs as well as the conservative themes around town. We also noticed all of the Trump/ Vance signs, caps, and t- shirts.

   We then started our leisurely 3 and a half hour drive back to Reno, Nevada. We drove up and down one incline after another; it’s very hilly but pretty country. There seemed to be a small town about every 3 or 4 valleys apart. We went through Amador City, Sutter Creek, Folsom, San Andreas and Calaveras County (yes the one with “The Frog.”)

   We saw many vineyards and information about the discovery of gold in 1848. This led to the “The Gold Rush of 1849.” The countryside is pretty and rural. The folks in these towns are much like small towns in rural Alabama; hard working and conservative. These folks are proud of their towns, their heritage, and their state. They are nothing like the big coastal cities of Kalifornia.

   We drove into Auburn, California and got a coffee at a local shop. “The Pour Choice.” What a great name! My wife was excited to go to a couple of souvenir shops for items that would have Auburn on it. Darlene knew that the chances of rural California knowing a southern football team in east Alabama, the Auburn Tigers, was slim. Still the two shops we went in just loved her accent and hearing about the town and the team. The ladies there had a fit over her debit card having a picture of a tiger (Auburn’s mascot) on it.

   We stepped out of a gift shop and a man ask where we were from. We told him Alabama and he welcomed us to California with a smile and handshake. He began to tell us some of the history of Auburn and the surrounding area. He was proud of his town and loved telling us about it as much as we loved hearing about it. The 1904 building across the street used to be a hotel. It was now a bar and grill but the building was original. He pointed out the second floor that were the hotel rooms and the attached smaller structure was a horse stable. Patrons road their horses to town and ate at the restaurant downstairs before going upstairs to their rooms. They left their horses in the stable.

   He pointed down the street to the town square and told us about the movie that was filmed in Auburn and the town square. The movie was Phenomenon starting Robert Duvall and John Travolta.

   We could have listened to this man all afternoon but we had to move on. We left Auburn, California via Interstate 80 heading back to Reno, Nevada.

   We drove the 98 miles and checked into The Silver Legacy Resort and Casino. It is part of “The Row” which consists of Circus Circus, El Dorado, and Silver Legacy all connected together. We had a very nice room on the 16th floor and could see The El Dorado where we had stayed earlier in our trip. We just went down to the restaurant in the hotel and it was ok for the price.

   This was an interesting day. Check back here at this blog to head about our last 2 nights and final day in Reno before flying back home.